Awakened in Shadows

by Tigris Eden

  She watched as he pushed some buttons in front of him. He looked her way briefly and told her to strap in. She did as he requested and figured she’d ask him a couple of questions herself. This was how people got to know one another, after all.

  “Where were you born?”

  “West Africa, in a village that no longer exists.”

  “Really? Why doesn’t it exist?”

  “Slave trade happened.”

  He didn’t elaborate. He didn’t need to. She’d gotten a thorough history education from her father on humans and immortals. She couldn’t imagine having lived through that. It explained the scars on his back. Jo was going to say something, but Dietrich held up his hand to halt her words. He held a device in his hand that she assumed was a microphone and spoke.

  “This is not your motherfucking captain speaking. His ass is riding bitch, like the rest of you fools. Should we encounter issues mid-air, there are emergency provisions below your seats. I plan to take off with eight and return with eight. So don’t get caught up and die on me.”

  Jo couldn’t help it. She burst into a fit of giggles. She knew he was serious, but the way he’d said it... How could she not laugh? He flipped another switch, and she could hear music. He was playing Kid Cudi and David Guetta’s Memories.

  “Back to your foster parents. Why’d they leave you at the Gate? How’d they know about it?”

  “Faery folk,” she replied. Hadn’t they already gone over this? The conversation was steered back to her. Jo shook her head in frustration. Men.

  “Faery folk. Explain.”

  “Um, okay, they figured I must be Fae or something. I’m sure you’ve heard of the Fae?”

  He shrugged.

  “May have fucked one or two once, but never took the time to ask about their history. Didn’t care.”

  The jet taxied, and he turned, guiding it towards the runway.

  “Are you saying you care about me?” He didn’t answer her. Instead, he concentrated on maneuvering the jet. This wasn’t her first plane ride, but it was her first time seeing it from her current vantage point. Their seats were leather, and the floor was carpeted with foot petals. It almost looked like the inside of an SUV. Complete with sun visors. But the dashboard had three monitors, two yokes—or steering wheels—and a ton of gauges. Their take off was smooth, and as the jet evened out, Dietrich hit some more buttons and turned his attention back to her.

  “Listen up, Peaches. I’ve already admitted I like you, but what happened back in my room can’t happen again.”

  Why the hell not?

  “You admitted you liked me.” Her voice came out whiny and Jo cringed.

  “Which is why this can’t happen. I don’t want to lose interest. I’d like us to be able to hang out after this.”

  Was he fucking serious? Was he really trying to stick her in the friend zone?

  Ugh.

  “No changing your mind, then?”

  He shook his head no. She wasn’t going to beg.

  At least he was honest.

  “I could give you everything you’re asking for. I could fuck you, make love to you, sink into the warmth of your kisses, but love is not something I can give you now or ever.”

  “Why is that?”

  She wanted to at least know why the infuriating man wanted nothing to do with her.

  “I’m not capable of that kind of relationship, Jorunn. I’m the guy that fucks all night and drops you off in the morning. That’s not what you need, Peaches.”

  “Consider me warned.”

  She wasn’t asking him to bond his life to hers; that would be foolish. She didn’t know how much time she had left but realized that what little time she had, she wasn’t going to squander it on hope, or worry. No, she wanted to live, and live how she wanted, on her own terms. A huge part of her was holding onto the hope that everything would work itself out in the end. It was the only reason she wasn’t out trying to complete her bucket list.

  “When did Phineas find you and Khalid?”

  Really?

  They were back to twenty questions.

  He persisted he didn’t care, but he wanted know personal things about her life, her past.

  “When I was about twelve. Khalid and I had run away from our foster parents. We were digging in the trash, scrounging for anything that we could eat. We’d been running for weeks. It was getting really bad. Bad enough that we were starting to steal. Phineas never asked any questions, just took us in.”

  “He ever try to fuck you?”

  Jorunn gasped in shock.

  “Hell, no! He’s my father! Why would you say that?”

  “The way he handled you the other day. It was like you belonged to him.”

  Phineas was keeping her grounded. She owed her father her life, if not for him, things would have gone in a whole other direction.

  “I owe Phineas my life. I suppose because of my dependency on VAB, and that he saw me through the worst of my mysterious illness, I developed a crush on him when I was younger. But nothing ever came of it, and he never once took advantage of me. I enjoy pleasing those I care for. What I feel for him is genuine love, like a daughter loves her father. Phineas understood my need and desire to make those around me happy. He fostered it in a positive way, instead of exploiting it for his own gain.”

  Dietrich studied her for a moment. When he seemed satisfied with her answer, he turned back to the plane’s controls.

  “What to learn how to fly this machine?”

  It was a random question to throw out after what they’d talked about, but it was better than sitting there and waiting on him to approach her. Something he made clear he wouldn’t do again.

  Chapter 15

  It was a nine and a half hour flight from Texas to France. They landed twenty miles outside of Paris. A black van was waiting for them as they stepped off the plane. There were also unexpected visitors.

  So much for a smooth fucking trip. Was it really too much for the Fates to just weave another tale? Focus on a new fucking thread. Fucking batch of bitches.

  Dietrich knew nothing was ever easy. He just hoped he could at least get from point A to point B with no shit. Hope was totally overrated at this point. He looked to the others and nodded his head. Shit was about to go down, and their only weakness was the woman standing next to him. Everyone else could fend for themselves. Jorunn was another story. His boys were strapped, he was carrying, though he wasn’t sure if Jes and Draven were.

  “Viva la France!” Enri cheered, walking out from behind three Death Walkers. Their eyes bled black blood, and their mouths were opened in a never closing O as they breathed heavily. They were big motherfuckers, and were standing still as if awaiting orders. Hands fisted at her side, Jesminda stepped forward.

  “What the fuck, Enri?”

  “Jesminda Stone. And who else do we have here?” Enri took a step closer and peered over her shoulder. If D had hair on the back of his neck, it would have been standing on end. The Fallen looked very pleased with himself. “Why, if it isn’t Miss Jorunn McLellan, foster daughter to clan McLeod. I find myself absolutely delighted with this situation.”

  Jorunn didn’t understand the severity of the events taking place, but Jes and the others did.

  “You’re the man that was at my father’s. Did he send you here?”

  “In a manner of speaking, yes, yes he did.”

  “Why?” Jorunn asked, moving forward. Dietrich stopped her before she could walk farther.

  “Stay next to me, Jo.” He’d barely gotten the words out of his mouth before someone else stepped from behind the Death Walkers. He would not have recognized her if not for the tooth around her neck. He’d killed a lion for that tooth. It had been a rogue lion killing off their livestock, and he and a few men from the village had gone out hunting to kill it. His arrow had dealt the deathblow. Still, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The person who stood before him was no longer the young girl he’d played with as a child. She was a
vision. His baby sister was a beautiful woman. Yewa’s brown eyes focused on him and he could see it then. A sort of sadness that shadowed her light.

  “Omari?” Her voice was music to his ears. Sweet, glorious music.

  “You okay?” He croaked, taking a step towards her. She’d gotten taller. Put on some weight—which was good. Not a scratch marred her delicate skin, but her eyes told a different story. A dark story he was all too familiar with.

  “Who is this, D?” Draven asked, looking to him for answers, answers Dietrich had but wasn’t ready to give. Not until he had his sister beside him. He answered Draven anyway.

  “She’s my baby sister.”

  “What?”

  “She’s my sister, Yewa.” Dietrich still had Jorunn standing next to him. His boys at his back grabbed the metal at their sides.

  “Jo, shit’s about to hit the fan. Stay close to me. If I tell you to run, that’s what you do. I tell you to duck, you do it. Tell me you understand,” he all but bit her head off as he tried to figure out his best course of action. He wasn’t ready for this. Hadn’t expected the handoff to be so soon. He didn’t wait for Jo to respond to him. “Yewa, I asked you a question. Are you okay?”

  His sister nodded her head but otherwise remained silent. She was looking at everyone as if she had no clue what was going on. She seemed just as shocked as he was. What had that bastard Fallen told her? He obviously hadn’t explained what was happening.

  “Come here.” D beckoned with his free hand. His sister looked to Enri, who was still looking at Jorunn like he’d just hit the lottery. His eyes were glossy. Too glossy; like he was souped up on something unnatural. “Yewa!” D snapped. Her head jerked in his direction, her eyes were vacant and devoid of any emotion. “Come to me. Now,” he demanded. Why was she just standing there?

  “I don’t think she’ll want to do that,” Enri taunted. His hand reached out and threaded through his sister’s hair. Dietrich couldn’t see straight after that, and all the reasons he’d tried to hold onto, calm went right out the window as he rushed Enri. The Death Walkers were in front of him before he reached his target. One of the big fuckers made a lunge for him, but Dietrich sidestepped out of his reach and then pulled his gun putting two into the creature’s skull. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would slow him down. He heard the others advance on the other two Death Walkers as he moved forward into Enri’s space. His sister just stood there, unmoving, not doing anything at all.

  He could hear Draven growling, and Jesminda was telling Jorunn to step back. Enri put his hands in the air and moved backward. Yewa moved with him. “I just came down here to check on my Jorunn.”

  “Your Jorunn?”

  People were always making assumptions. Talking about things out of context. It was a constant problem for him. If Enri still thought D would allow him to take Jorunn, the Fallen was stupider than he thought.

  “Yes, she’s mine, Primori. We talked about this.”

  “What is he going on about?” Jes asked. She was now standing at D’s side, black blood on the front of her shirt and down the sides of her face. “You didn’t make a deal with him? Did you, D? Hell, this guy is fucking crazy.”

  Like he didn’t already know that shit.

  “You were going to trade me for your sister?” Jorunn whispered from behind him. The pain ringing through loud and clear. Her anger rose and surrounded her in an electrical field that snapped and stung his back. She stepped out from behind him, and the markings on her legs and arms now glowed a bright, angry red. Jo’s eyes went dull before they flashed a brilliant gold.

  “Well, this is unexpected.” Enri beamed as he looked on in awe.

  Dietrich tried to grab her arm, but she wrenched it away. The chain at her waist melted as if singed to molten metal. He tried to will her to him, hoping their bond from the chain still had the desired effect, but he got nothing.

  “Jorunn, listen to me.”

  “No,” her voice was layered. Intoned with multiple inflections. She turned to Enri and asked, “Do you mean me harm?”

  Enri’s eyes widened, and as if her voice compelled him, he answered her question.

  “No. I intend to mate with you, give you my offspring. Unite our bloodlines, my lady.”

  My lady?

  “Yewa, go to your brother.” Jorunn’s voice was clearly compelling them to do what she wanted.

  D watched as his sister’s entire body shook as she moved away from Enri and over to his side. Jo turned towards the others and took a step back toward Enri. What the fuck was she doing?! They had his sister, they could all go.

  “I will go with Enri, you will go and get the cup from the three brothers.”

  His mind was telling him that he was doing the wrong thing by leaving her with Enri. His mind was his, but his body was on autopilot. He couldn’t help obeying, and neither could the others. They all piled into the van, then he turned the ignition and drove off into the night. It wasn’t until they’d driven a few miles that whatever had compelled them to follow Jorunn’s words slowly began to wear off. Dietrich slammed on the brakes, making the car skid to a halt. He reversed and tried to turn, but as the car started back toward the tarmac, he was once again compelled to turn around and go back in the direction of their commanded destination.

  FUCK!

  “You in league with Enri?” Draven asked, a clawed hand digging into D’s shoulder. Three guns clicked, signaling loaded chambers that were aimed at Draven’s face.

  “You may want to back your truck up man and get your paws off our boy,” NuNu warned.

  “Everybody calm down. Draven, baby, I’m sure there’s a reason Enri showed up with…” Jes looked at his sister. “Your name’s Yewa, right?” D’s sister nodded her head, tears rolling down her face. She never did handle violence well. “Explain, Dietrich. Help us understand this really fucked up situation. Because from where I sit, it doesn’t look good for you at all.”

  D gritted his teeth. He gripped the steering wheel as he prayed for patience.

  “Enri wanted information on Jo in exchange for my sister.”

  “No one even knew you had a sister,” Jes tossed out, raising her voice.

  “I had two sisters. Now I have one.” He looked in the rearview at his sister, who sat quietly in the backseat of the van. She glanced at him and quickly looked away. “I didn’t see any other choice.”

  “Is this why you volunteered for the job?” Draven growled.

  He didn’t think he needed to answer that, so he didn’t.

  “We need to get her back,” Jacobi interjected.

  “Agreed. We’re not going to leave her to Enri. No matter what I think of her,” Jes sighed, clearly under stress. Although, honestly, he couldn’t understand why she was Mrs. Helper all of a sudden.

  The guns were lowered, and Draven’s claws retracted from Dietrich’s shoulder. It hurt like a son of a bitch. He wasn’t going to dwell on the pain, but he would remember.

  Dietrich put the car in gear again and headed toward the village. He knew that even if they had made it back to the tarmac, she wasn’t going to be there. His only hope was that Gabe’s intel was right. That Enri was headed to the same place they were. Everything he’d ever wanted up to this point had happened. He should be happy. Take his sister and get out of the mind-fuckfest and just be free. He no longer had to answer to the Agency. They could go fuck themselves. But everything he’d thought was long dead and buried deep, now pumped viciously like a caged beast behind his ribcage.

  His heart was wide-awake all of a sudden, and Jorunn being taken by Enri was all it had taken to enrage the monster of his emotions.

  ~ ~ ~

  “Where are we going?” Jo looked over to Enri, who hadn’t spoken a word to her since they stepped inside his vehicle. She wasn’t sure what she should say to him. Was he sulking because his zombie companions had been decapitated? He hadn’t acted like he cared after the others left. He’d left the three bodies lying there as their black blood pooled ar
ound their decaying bodies and stained the asphalt. There was one other Death Walker in the car, but this one sat quietly in the back, eyes glazed over and drool coming out of its mouth.

  Her father had spoken of the infamous Death Squad. They weren’t zombies, but rather humans and immortals without their souls. Their brains were still fully functional, even though their bodies had essentially shut down. The black blood was a result of the blood coagulating, turning into a thick gel-like substance. The older the Death Walker, the thicker and darker the blood. The one in the back seat appeared newly turned.

  “We’re headed to St. Michel, of course.”

  “You’re after the cup, as well?”

  How did he even know to come?

  Phineas.

  It was a calculated move on her father’s part. At least, she hoped it was. He always had a backup plan. Dietrich had explained that there were others after the cup. He must have been referring to Enri.

  “I, Lady Jorunn, am after answers. And to see that my needs are met.”

  “Why do you call me lady?”

  “My intended is royalty, as am I.”

  Jorunn’s head felt like it had just been tugged, hard. Her brain was doing some serious calculating of its own. If she survived this, she’d eventually want to be settled right? What the fuck are you thinking! Head in the game and out of the crazy zone. She wasn’t following a thing the Fallen was saying. If Enri hadn’t kept company with Death Walkers or sent them to attack Dietrich and the others, she may have been into him. But she would never be with him. Sure, he had a savage beauty, with sharp features and a chiseled physique. His ice-blue eyes were intense and knowing. But there was also madness there, making her wary and anxious. She didn’t know when it would happen, but she figured it was only a matter of time before the Fallen sitting next to her popped his top. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him when it happened.

  “Who are you exactly?”

  He slowed the car and looked in her direction. His blue gaze electric and probing.

  “I am the Black Prince, heir to the Black Throne.”